Navarre pier management selection comes under fire

Published: Monday, September 9, 2013 at 06:40 PM.

MILTON — The Santa Rosa County Commission will take a second look at its decision on who should manage the Navarre Beach fishing pier.

The county’s ranking system, which has been used for about 20 years to make various selections, has come under fire following last month’s special meeting to decide the top firm to manage the pier.

Longtime county residents Pasco Gibson, who owns Nichols Seafood Restaurant and Marina in Milton, and Yolanda Wells, a veteran of the food service industry, were ranked the top pick.

However, three of the five commissioners had selected current pier managers Dorothy Slye and Everett Ratliff as their top pick.

“It’s not about who got it, it’s about the process in place that failed the system,” said Commissioner Don Salter. “I’m of the nature that if something needs fixed, fix it. Don’t let it make a bad decision for you. Fix it.”

After last month’s meeting to rank the candidates, county staff began negotiating a contract with Gibson and Wells to manage the pier. However, Commissioner Bob Cole said that was just a ranking and the board never did vote to direct county staff to begin negotiations with anyone.

The board will vote on Thursday to select a firm to manage the pier between Gibson and Wells and Slye and Ratliff.

Commissioner Jim Williamson, who last month selected Gibson and Wells as his top pick and ranked Slye and Ratliff fourth, said he did not support the board taking a separate vote to select a pier manager. He compared it to changing the rules of a game after it was over to alter its outcome.

“Until you change the rules, you go by the rules,” Williamson said. “This RFP was done by the rules that were in place.”

Contact Daily News Business Editor Dusty Ricketts at 850-315-4448 or dricketts@nwfdailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter @DustyRnwfdn.

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MILTON — The Santa Rosa County Commission will take a second look at its decision on who should manage the Navarre Beach fishing pier.

The county’s ranking system, which has been used for about 20 years to make various selections, has come under fire following last month’s special meeting to decide the top firm to manage the pier.

Longtime county residents Pasco Gibson, who owns Nichols Seafood Restaurant and Marina in Milton, and Yolanda Wells, a veteran of the food service industry, were ranked the top pick.

However, three of the five commissioners had selected current pier managers Dorothy Slye and Everett Ratliff as their top pick.

“It’s not about who got it, it’s about the process in place that failed the system,” said Commissioner Don Salter. “I’m of the nature that if something needs fixed, fix it. Don’t let it make a bad decision for you. Fix it.”

After last month’s meeting to rank the candidates, county staff began negotiating a contract with Gibson and Wells to manage the pier. However, Commissioner Bob Cole said that was just a ranking and the board never did vote to direct county staff to begin negotiations with anyone.

The board will vote on Thursday to select a firm to manage the pier between Gibson and Wells and Slye and Ratliff.

Commissioner Jim Williamson, who last month selected Gibson and Wells as his top pick and ranked Slye and Ratliff fourth, said he did not support the board taking a separate vote to select a pier manager. He compared it to changing the rules of a game after it was over to alter its outcome.

“Until you change the rules, you go by the rules,” Williamson said. “This RFP was done by the rules that were in place.”

Contact Daily News Business Editor Dusty Ricketts at 850-315-4448 or dricketts@nwfdailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter @DustyRnwfdn.